Very Disheartening news

[Lilred]

This makes my heart hurt. The main reason I voted against this man was because of his anti-environmental stance.



New Rule Opens National Forest Areas to Roads
Land Had Been Put Off Limits to Development by President Clinton

WASHINGTON (May 5) - The Bush administration, in one of its biggest decisions on environmental issues, moved Thursday to open up nearly a third of all remote national forest lands to road building, logging and other commercial ventures.

The 58.5 million acres involved, mainly in Alaska and in western states, had been put off limits to development by former President Clinton, eight days before he left office in January 2001.

Under existing local forest management plans, some 34.3 million acres of these pristine woodlands could be opened to road construction. That would be the first step in allowing logging, mining and other industry and wider recreational uses of the land. Under proposed rules, new management plans have to be written for the other 24.2 million acres before road building can commence.

Governors have 18 months to submit petitions to the U.S. Forest Service, challenging either the old plan to stop development, or calling for new plans to allow it.

Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns said in announcing the rule that his agency "is committed to working closely with the nation's governors to meet the needs of our local communities while protecting and restoring the health and natural beauty of our national forests."

The Agriculture Department, which includes the Forest Service, said governors can base their petitions on requests to protect public health and safety; reduce wildfire risks to communities; conserve wildlife habitat; maintain dams, utilities or other infrastructure; or ensure that citizens have access to private property.

The Forest Service, which will review and have final say over the petitions, calls the new process voluntary and is setting up a national advisory committee on the rule. "If a governor does not want to propose changes ... then no petition need be submitted," the agency says in briefing documents obtained by The Associated Press.

Roadless areas in national forests stretch among 38 states and Puerto Rico. But 97 percent, or 56.6 million acres, are found in 12 states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

Environmentalists say the new rule also would let the administration rewrite the forest management plans to lift restrictions against development on most of that forest land.

"Yesterday, nearly 60 million acres of national forests were protected and today as a result of deliberate action by the administration they are not," said Robert Vandermark, director of the Heritage Forests Campaign, run by a coalition of environment groups. "The Bush administration plan is a 'leave no tree behind' policy that paves the way for increased logging, drilling and mining in some of our last wild areas."

The Clinton-era rule has been much debated in federal court.

A federal court in Idaho had issued a preliminary injunction against the roadless rule in 2001, but the San Francisco-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit overturned the injunction based on an appeal by environmental groups.

Then in 2003, a federal court in Wyoming overturned the rule. Many of those same groups appeals to the Denver-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, which heard arguments Wednesday.

The Forest Service believes its new rule "helps us to move forward with a policy that is not clouded by legal uncertainty, as was the case with the 2001 rule," says a current agency document entitled "National Key Messages & Talking Points."

Jim Angell, an attorney with Earthjustice law firm in Denver, who argued the case, called that just an excuse for pushing through a new rule that represents "a huge step back for the protection of our most pristine lands."

"Really, this is an effort to rush this rule through before the 10th Circuit can reverse that Wyoming judge, just like the 9th Circuit did before," he said. "It's incredibly cynical of them to use that judge's ruling as an excuse."

[HikerHobo]

Hikers who voted for Bush deserve the road walk
that they helped create with their votes...
God help the rest of us...

[Scrunchy]

Oh, that is just awful! I hate this administration!!!!! And no, I didn't vote for them.

[TakeABreak]

Do you know what the title of the article is and what paper it was in, I would to find it on the web so I can send to some friends.

[A-Train]

Yea I was skeptical without a source or author. Sadly though, it is true, I just got a Wild Alert in my email about it. There is still possibility though, it can still be overturned.

Can't say I'm suprised though

[Lilred]

Do you know what the title of the article is and what paper it was in, I would to find it on the web so I can send to some friends.

http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/news/arti...05130309990029

[Sly]

Governors have 18 months to submit petitions to the U.S. Forest Service, challenging either the old plan to stop development, or calling for new plans to allow it.

The Bush option... Heads I win, tails you lose!

.

[fiddlehead]

Tis indeed a sad day in the history of the USA!

[Sly]

Hey yeah Fiddlehead,

How goes it? What time is it over there anyway?

[TakeABreak]

Thanks for the link, Lilredmg. : )

[Lone Wolf]

Bush is a great Prez.

[The Old Fhart]

Bush is a great beer.

[Lone Wolf]

You spelled Busch wrong.

[Lugnut]

It's kind of interesting that hikers/outdoors people tend to be liberal. I belong to a local outdoor club and I'm the only conservative in the entire membership. I catch all kinds of grief but I just consider them to be uninformed and deserving of my sympathy. Maybe someday they will realize that Ann Coulter, John McCain and Ollie North were right after all!

[Ridge]

I'm against development of any wild or scenic lands. In fact I wouldn't mind a little undevelopment like Hwy 441 dividing the GSMNP being removed. Should have never been put there. The entire Blue Ridge Parkway could also be removed, did you know that this parkway caused a good bit of the original AT to be relocated? And, if fuel cost get much higher, whos going to be able to afford to drive on the newly developed roads. hikerwife

[zephyr1034]

[QUOTE=Lugnut]It's kind of interesting that hikers/outdoors people tend to be liberal.
================================================== ==========
Some of them aren't, however. Hunters and fishermen. They read Field and Stream and belong to the NRA. They tend to vote Republican because they fear that Democrats will try to take their gun rights away. But the preservation of natural areas is as important to them as it is to us. If you cut down the trees, there won't be any wildlife to hunt. Poison the streams and there won't be any fish. And some of them are p***ed off at Bush because of this.

We need to reach out to these people, put aside any differences we might have, and present a united front to the Bush administration. If we were able to get the NRA on board, we'd have a lot more clout.

I have never owned a gun, and I've never been hunting. But I have absolutely no problem with people owning guns or going hunting. We should put those differences aside for the time being. The Sierra Club and other enviornmental organizations should start courting the hunters and fishermen.

I'm sure that if the hunters knew about the repeal of the roadless rule, they and the NRA would be raising hell.

[shades of blue]

The reason that most hunters and the NRA aren't up in arms (pun intended) about the roadless rule (if they are conservationists) is simply because they believe the rhetoric of the Republican party. And yes...the Democrats have their own set of rhetoric that is to the other extreme.
One of the greatest American conservationists was a damn...I mean...ah....Republican. President T. Roosevelt was a hunter also. He saw something that needed to be done before it was too late. Unfortunately, they don't make Republicans like that anymore...or, more likely, they don't have the support in their own party to push that agenda.
Wolf says Prez "Busch" is a great Prez. I have no doubt of Wolf's opinion about him...but do you agree with the repeal of the roadless rule? Every "great" man has a few flaws...is this one of his?

[papa john]

http://www.commondreams.org/cgi-bin/...04/0901-03.htm

[Doctari]

Logging companys, mining companys, etc Have money.
Environmentalists (usually) don't have money.

Presidential & congresional favors/votes cost money. Lots of money.

They win.
The: trees, wildlife, scenery, quiet, humanity; LOOSE.

Do I imply the owners of the companys that benifit are not human? NO I am stating it outloud! Blood sucking leaches!


Doctari.

[papa john]

Not to start an argument but logging companies, mining companies, etc employ PEOPLE who depend on these jobs to support their families.

Environmentalists employ nobody.